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Old 08-30-2019, 08:42 AM   #1
hcobb
 
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Default Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

The ability to combine defend and attack options allows the Octopus to survive for round after round, but it doesn't do quite as much total damage as the poisonous 7-headed hydra.

https://www.hcobb.com/tft/firepower.html
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Old 09-01-2019, 11:39 AM   #2
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Default Re: Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

Not getting killed is better than theoretical ability to do damage.

For example, the battle in one of my games some months ago where a 7-hex hydra cornered a not-so-large party of fairly capable humans.

Well, the people with higher adjDX than the hydra managed to do just enough damage to knock it down before it could attack (pointing out that that number is a bit generic and perhaps low, especially for very-high-ST monsters). Game over, zero damage done by the hydra.

But as you've pointed out before, the new talents that give 5 dice to hit while Defending can be hard to deal with (but q.v. missile weapons, spells, HTH...).
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Old 09-01-2019, 03:05 PM   #3
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Default Re: Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

My firepower calculations assume an endless supply of Myrmidons with small shields to pound on unless these would be useless against the monsters.

Truly optimized parties could take down any monster much easier, but this is just for comparing monsters against each other to give a feel for how many critters to throw at each party.

My rule of thumb is that matching the party's total CP in firepower should make them sweat.

CP calculator: https://www.hcobb.com/tft/tftcalc.html (33 CPs for a starting PC)
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Old 09-02-2019, 12:02 PM   #4
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Default Re: Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

Adding CP of multiple figures tends not to be a solid measure of power. One 40-point figure can take out three 24-point figures per turn with sweeping blows, for example, but the CP total of 3 24-point figures is 72.
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Old 09-02-2019, 01:24 PM   #5
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Default Re: Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

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Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
Adding CP of multiple figures tends not to be a solid measure of power. One 40-point figure can take out three 24-point figures per turn with sweeping blows, for example, but the CP total of 3 24-point figures is 72.
The UC-V fighter has 40 attribute points and therefore a minimum CP rating of 115, more if she adds gear or more than four memory points in extra talents or spells.

https://www.hcobb.com/tft/tftcalc.html
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Old 09-03-2019, 01:34 PM   #6
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Default Re: Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

Non-sequitur?
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Old 09-03-2019, 08:11 PM   #7
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Default Re: Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

I think he's using a different definition of "CP".
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Old 09-03-2019, 08:18 PM   #8
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Default Re: Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

CPs: hundreds of XPs from zero stats and zero gear. (C in the Latin sense)
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Old 09-04-2019, 05:00 PM   #9
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Default Re: Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

That's not the issue. The issue is that it does not work to just add a point value like this (whichever unit is used) for multiple figures of different types and expect to get a meaningful comparison of combat ability.

It's bad enough trying to use such a formula to evaluate who's more dangerous one-on-one. As soon as you add multiple figures, all bets are off, and noting that some UC V character has a high rating is not relevant to that.
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Old 09-04-2019, 05:15 PM   #10
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Default Re: Octopus with Shield Expertise is more deadly than a 14-hex dragon

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
The issue is that it does not work to just add a point value like this (whichever unit is used) for multiple figures of different types and expect to get a meaningful comparison of combat ability.
For certain values of "does not work", I have to agree. But I find it useful to have a simple value to compare when trying to balance combats. The cold hard truth is that the dice don't get rolled often enough in a single fight to overcome the chaos inherent in the 3d6 bell curve. Things just aren't that predictable in the short term.

All that aside, it's a place to start, and the GM can easily fudge the upcoming encounters based on the current state of the party. It's also useful if you want to exchange foes for ones of similar prowess. Your mileage may vary, but I'm happy to at least have something reasonable, if not very precise.
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